(RS) Info Panel Panes (Mac)

The Info Panel is divided into different panes that make it easy to work within RadarScope. Here is a rundown of the various Info Panel panes within RadarScope.

The Inspector pane makes it easy to turn layers of data on/off within RadarScope. Here is a rundown of the various features of the inspector.

The top of the inspector shows the current Latitude and Longitude that corresponds to wherever the cursor is on the map. If the cursor is not on the map, no Latitude or Longitude will display.

Underneath the Latitude and Longitude section is the layers selector. These show the various layers that are currently displayed on RadarScope. Selecting a checkbox next to a layer will allow the layer to appear in RadarScope. Un-checking the checkbox will remove the layer from appearing on RadarScope. We will now examine some of the various layers available within RadarScope.

Cities and Interstates make it easier to figure out where storms are located in RadarScope. Cities are indicated by the city name next to a corresponding dot on the radar map. Interstates are indicated by large blue lines on the map.

Warnings display Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, and Flash Flood warnings from the National Weather Service in the shape of polygons. Click on a warning polygon to see the type of warning and the expiration time of the warning.

Expert Mode displays unfiltered (raw) radar data in RadarScope. Slight drizzles will appear on the map when turned on, as well as RadarScope may display “data” on the map even when the weather is clear (this is known as “Clear Air Mode” and used for tracking smoke, bird migrations, etc. during clear days). Unless you are specifically needing to use Expert Mode for tracking, you should generally leave Expert Mode turned-off.

Storm Tracks are issued from the National Weather Service and are used to track severe storms, hail, intense wind shear, and tornadoes. They will appear in RadarScope as white dotted lines. Clicking on a storm track line will display in a popup box the Storm ID (issued from the National Weather Service), the time the storm track was issued, and the direction and speed the storm is traveling. The various times the storm will hit areas in the storm’s path also appear on the storm track line when clicked.

Spotters are trained storm spotters from the Spotter Network{NOTE TO TYLER, LINK TO SN WEBSITE} that relay position and storm report information to a growing network of storm spotters and weather enthusiasts. To enable Spotters inside RadarScope, one must have an active Spotter Network {NOTE TO TYLER, LINK TO APPLICATION FORM} account and do the following steps:

Visit http://spotternetwork.org/rs

Click on Enable RadarScope Integration

Select Spotters in the RadarScope Inspector pane of the Info Panel to display Spotters in RadarScope.

Underneath the layers section of the Inspector pane is the Data Chooser. The Data Chooser allows one to choose between the free NOAA/National Weather Service data feeds and the premium data feeds offered by AllisonHouse (with an active subscription).

Underneath the Data Chooser is the Loop Controller. The Loop Controller allows one to control how many frames (images) of radar data to loop (animate) at a time. Dragging the slider controls the speed of the radar loop (animation). Dragging to the left makes the radar loop (animate) slower, dragging to the right makes the radar loop (animate) faster. One can then loop (animate) the radar using the Play and Prev/Next buttons at the bottom of the RadarScope window.

The Radars pane makes it easy to learn about the status of various Radar Sites around the US. Radar Sites are grouped by state in the top section of the Radars pane. Radar Sites with a red icon next to them indicate they are currently offline (inactive). Clicking on a Radar site will display the status text (and if offline the maintenance messages) in the bottom section of the Radars pane.

The Warnings pane makes it easy to display detailed information about current warnings from the National Weather Service. The Warnings box in the Inspector pane will need to be checked in order for the Warnings pane to display. The Warnings pane will display Severe Thunderstorm, Tornado, and Flash Food warnings as they are issued by the National Weather Service. The top section of the Warnings pane displays warnings near the currently-selected radar site, then displays warnings for the entire US, grouped by state. Clicking on a warning displays the detailed warning text in the bottom section of the Warnings pane.

The Spotters pane displays detailed information about storm spotters on the Spotter Network. Spotters will need to be activated in RadarScope, as well as the Spotters box in the Inspector pane will need to be checked in order for the Spotters pane to display. See above for detailed instructions. The top section of the Spotters pane displays a list of all of the storm spotters on the Spotter Network, alphabetized by last name. Clicking on a storm spotter’s name displays detailed information and their contact information in the bottom section of the Spotter pane.